Numerous types of handheld electronic devices are known. Examples of such handheld electronic devices include, for instance, personal data assistants (PDAs), handheld computers, two-way pagers, cellular telephones, and the like. Such handheld electronic devices are generally intended to be portable, and thus are relatively small. Many handheld electronic devices also features wireless communication capability, including wireless voice and data communication. With advances in technology, handheld electronic devices are being configured to include greater numbers of features while having relatively small form factors that may be readily stored (e.g. in a pocket or purse).
While convenient for mobility, storage and handling of the devices in and out of pockets or purses may increase the likelihood that a user may inadvertently actuate one or more keys, resulting in excessive power consumption (battery drain) or unintended operations being carried out, such as making accidental calls or sending out inadvertent messages. What is needed is an improved system and method for providing a standby mode in a handheld electronic device that may address this.